To the hosts of young readers who bade Dr. Bronson and his nephews Fred
and Frank good-by in Hong-Kong at the end of Part First of _The Boy
Travellers in the Far East_[1] the announcement that, by the appearance
of Part Second of this fascinating narrative, they may once more journey
into strange lands with their young friends, will be a welcome one.
Starting from Hong-Kong, the boys continue their travels down the coast
to Singapore, stopping by the way in Cochin China, Anam, Cambodia, and
Siam. From Singapore they sail through the Malayan Archipelago to
Batavia, in doing which they cross the equator. From Batavia they take
long excursions into the interior of the island of Java, and here the
reader has again to leave them for a time while they make preparations
for further explorations of the wonderful lands of the Far East.
[1] _The Boy Travellers in the Far East_. Part Second: Adventures of two
Youths in a Journey to Siam and Java, with Descriptions of Cochin China,
Cambodia, Sumatra, and the Malay Archipelago. By THOMAS W. KNOX.
Illustrated. 8vo, pp. 446. New York: Harper & Brothers.
The book is filled with tales of adventure by land and sea with pirates
and wild animals, curious bits of history, accurate descriptions of
strange people and queer customs, animals, birds, and plants. In it the
author has so artfully blended instruction with amusement that the young
reader is taught in spite of himself, and finds the driest facts
interesting when presented in this charming form. The letter-press is
supplemented by copious illustrations that appear upon nearly every
page. The binding is very handsome, and the book bids fair to prove one
of the notable attractions of this year's holiday season.
* * * * *
Most books of foreign travel are written with the view of cramming the
minds of their readers with the greatest possible amount of information,
and the result is apt to be a fit of mental indigestion from which the
victim does not readily recover. In _Harry Ascott Abroad_,[2] however,
the author has carefully avoided the text-book plan, and has confined
himself to the simple relation of an American boy's every-day experience
during a year's residence in Germany, and while travelling in
Switzerland and France. The story is told in the boy's own language, and
is made up of just such facts as will interest other boys, and at the
same time teach them what to expect, and what mistakes to guard against,
if they happen to find themselves in a position similar to that of Harry
Ascott.
[2] _Harry Ascott Abroad_. By MATTHEW WHITE, Jun. 16mo, pp. 94. New
York: The Authors' Publishing Company.
* * * * *
Mrs. Cochran (Sidney Dayre) has earned so enviable a reputation as a
writer of short stories for children that while the "young readers" feel
sure that anything from her pen must be interesting, their parents are
equally confident that the tone of the story will be healthy and pure.
_The Queer Little Wooden Captain_[3] and _The Little Lost Girl_, the two
stories contained in the present volume, are Christmas tales, both of
which, without moralizing, teach how much greater are the joys of giving
than those of receiving.
[3] _The Queer Little Wooden Captain_. By SIDNEY DAYRE. 16mo, pp. 152.
Illustrated. New York: The Authors' Publishing Company.